Ottawa Solar Power Fair - April 30th at City Hall

10:00am to 1:30pm
Ottawa City Hall

2:00pm to 4:00pm Solar Site Tour

Presented by 1000 Solar Rooftops Ottawa Network
www.1000solarrooftops.ca

Tracking our Geothermal Lessons - Hot Water

When we bought our geothermal unit, we were told that it provides 100% of our heating and cooling and about 60-80% of our hot water needs. This has generally been the case except for one point to clarify. The heat for the hot water is dependent on the furnace running so in the shoulder season when your furnace may be off (and you don't need your ac on yet) none of your hot water needs are going to be met by the geothermal system. This is ok as we have an electric water heating system but it is good to know that this is how the system works in the real world.

Geothermal in the Cold

It is about time I write about the geothermal system in the cold weather. Generally - so far so good. The auxiliary back up heat system does have to come on sometimes, in particular when it got to -30 (feels like -38 outside).

At one point, the temperature in the house wasn't reaching what the thermostat was set for. We called Parent Heating and Cooling to come check it out. At first we thought it had something to do with the ice on the geothermal system (check out the photo). It turns out that this happens because the more the system is used, the more the refrigerant circulates and then ice forms on the system. In the end the electric relay was disconnected. The compressor was contributing some extra heat but not enough until the relay was fixed ($200 later). We do have a 5 year warranty on parts but it is the labour that costs so much. Now the system is back up and running.....

Solar: Our First Hydro Ottawa Account Summary

We received our first Hydro Ottawa Account Summary. Between Oct 26 and Dec 31, we produced 76.16 kwh off-peak and 52.08 kwh on-peak from our solar panels equating to earnings of $102.85. What we didn't know is that there is a $30 plus HST account set-up fee beyond what we already paid Hydro Ottawa to connect our system. More importantly, we will be paying a $10.50 plus HST delivery charge and $0.50 plus HST regulatory charge per account period (therefore $5.50 per month) for the next 20 years. This might not be a lot of money but it would have been helpful to know about this charge when doing our initial assessment. Apparently, it is a charge imposed by the Ontario Power Authority and not Hydro Ottawa but that is yet to be confirmed. The other thing we learned is that our solar account is separate from our regular account. I was given the impression that the money we earn would just be put against our hydro bill. Apparently, the system is not set up for that and we will be receiving separate cheques for the solar power generation per billing period. Our first cheque arrived for a total of $56.52. The next step for us is to figure out how this information is used in tax season....

Solar - Final Product

The last step involves finalizing the contract with the MicroFit program. First you need to verify that you meet the domestic content requirements and then the agreement is finalized. I did this online and received a notice that our power authority will be contacted to begin payment (cross your fingers).

Just so you know - Hydro Meters

I wanted to show what Hydro Ottawa was requried to do onsite. First, they have to have someone come by to turn off the power to your house. The electrician then replaces your single meter with a new panel allowing for two meters - one for what is generated by your panels and another for what you use in your house. You also have to have a switch installed so that Hydro Ottawa can shut things off just in case the homeowner is out. It is good to know that this is required because space can be limited. We had to move our downspout over to facilitate this. Also, the meters are not as subtle as it used to be. So after the meters were installed, and the electrical safety authority gave their ok, another team from Hydro Ottawa came by to connect the new meters to the hydro pole in the street. In our case, we had a new cable installed (upgraded). The original Hydro Ottawa guy then came back to turn the power back on. Busy place.

Oct 26 - Up and Running

... today the electrician ran the wires, the electrical safety authority said ok and Hydro Ottawa worked their magic. We are now connected!